Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has agreed a one-year contract extension that will keep him at the Nou Camp until 2011.

The future of the all-conquering Catalan coach, who won six trophies with Barcelona last term, has been the subject of intense speculation but, on Wednesday, club officials revealed he had extended his contract beyond the end of the season.

Guardiola's new deal will tie him to the Spanish, European and world champions
until the end of the 2010-11 season, although the agreement will not be signed
until after this summer's presidential elections.

"Nowhere am I going to be better than I am here,'' said Guardiola, who as a player and former captain with Barca represented the club between 1990-2001 and won six league titles, the European Cup and two Copa del Reys among a host of other trophies.

Guardiola did concede, though, that there was likely to be a time limit for his tenure in charge of the club. "I know that sooner or later I will cease to be coach of Barca and I have to enjoy the time I'm here to the maximum,'' he added.

"A coach of Barca can't be here for life just because I think you have to sign for short periods during which the coach has to earn things, with the players, with the fans.

"I wanted to see if that was happening, if I had the support of the players, the board. I feel strong enough to carry on. I don't want to be here for what we've done but for what we must do now.''

Guardiola has been a revelation since being promoted from Barca's B team in the summer of 2008 to replace Frank Rijkaard in charge of the senior team. In his first season in charge Guardiola helped Barca become the first Spanish team ever to win the treble of Champions League, Primera Division and Copa del Rey.

Then the all-conquering Catalans added three more trophies in 2009 to cap their record-breaking year, winning the Spanish and European Super Cups last summer
and then picking up the Club World Cup in December.

In total, Barca have won 67 of their 95 competitive matches under Guardiola, losing just nine times, whilst scoring an average of more than 2.4 goals per game.

Guardiola, who has recently been linked with a move to Manchester United as a
possible replacement for Sir Alex Ferguson when the Scot steps down at Old
Trafford, admits he would have preferred to wait until the end of the season to
make any announcement about his future.

However, he felt recent events, primarily last week's Copa del Rey exit at the hands of Sevilla, had changed things. "It (cup exit) makes the weeks seem longer. It had created a situation that was already uncomfortable for everyone - we had to kill the issue,'' he said.

Barca president Joan Laporta, who said this weekend that he wanted a decision from Guardiola on his future by Easter, was delighted to secure the ongoing services of someone he believes is the top coach in the game.

"I think that it's very good news for everyone associated with Barcelona because we all wanted Pep to continue,'' Laporta said. "He doesn't like me saying it, but Pep Guardiola is the best coach in the world and we are proud to continue to have him here.''